


Leave Excalibur alone. The fate of everyone you love rests upon it.

by summer_of_1985



Series: There's Only One Rule. Pick a Partner Who Knows What He's Doing [5]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Character Turned Into a Ghost, Dark Emma Swan, Emma doesn't unite the sword, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-19 14:44:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20325835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/summer_of_1985/pseuds/summer_of_1985
Summary: What if Emma never united the swords, and left it alone as Merlin told her to?





	Leave Excalibur alone. The fate of everyone you love rests upon it.

As the heroes (and villains as Killian put it) stand in Granny's, waiting for Emma to unite the blades finally.

However, Emma starts hearing a voice in her hand, the same voice she was spoken to as a young 6-year-old in Boston.

_'Leave Excalibur alone. The fate of everyone you love rests upon it.'_

As Emma made the flame and held the two ends of the sword together, the words echoed in her head.

She then set the two ends down and shook her head. "No, I'm not going to do it," she backtracks some and does a turnaround.

"What are you talking about Emma? It's the only way to get rid of the darkness," Snow walked closer to her darkened daughter.

"If there's anything I have learnt from Storybrooke, there's more than one way," Emma said, the hood of her white cape swinging along with her steps.

Killian started to shake his head, knowing what Emma was thinking. "I'm not losing you, Emma," Killian had never been scared of the 'dark swan'.

"But long before any of this, someone told me not to touch Excalibur, and to leave it alone," Emma said, as Killian wrapped his arms around her.

Emma knew Merlin was starting to smile. "Who was it?" Henry asked, looking up at his darkened birth mother.

Emma raised a finger and pointed to Merlin. "In the cinema, in Boston, 1989, I think it was. I watched The Sword in the Stone, and there was an usher who told me not to take the sword out of the stone," Emma smiled at Merlin, purposefully leaving out the part to do with her stealing a chocolate bar.

Merlin smiled. "I can see you're taking my advice," he smiled, and took Excalibur in his hand, as Regina grabbed the dagger.

"The most powerful wizard in the world? I'm going to have to!" Emma laughed, letting a smile blossom over her face.

Merlin gave her a smile and nodded. "You know what I'm going to do?" Emma asked, looking up at Merlin.

* * *

-Storybrooke, Maine, United States of America-

A huge earthquake (which is only felt in town), making signs rattle and car alarms start, as people crash-land on the floor of Granny's Diner.

Two of the five dwarfs that we left behind came running in if Killian had to guess - Sneezy and Bashful? and looked at the group on the ground.

"How long have we been gone?" Regina asked as Robin helped her off the ground.

A pair of heels clicked on the ground, as a light swan came around the corner. Their Saviour, light magic, Emma Swan.

"It was 6 weeks," she had a dress similar to the white one she wore in Camelot, but Killian could see the resemblance to the dress she wore on their first date.

"MOM!" Henry smiled widely, seeing his birth mother back to normal. He stood up quickly and went running to collapse in her arms.

Emma knew that Henry would be heartbroken with what would happen, so she wanted to tell him lightly. "Henry, I wouldn't," Emma softly said, as her son came to a stop.

"What do you mean, Emma?" Snow spoke up, with David's arms wrapped around her, making sure she's ok, with their son wrapped in Snow's tight arms.

Emma let out a sigh, and looked over at Henry, holding her hand out like a high five. "Go on, kid," as that left her mouth, Henry reached out with his own hand, as his fingertips slipped through hers without a flinch from Emma.

"What the hell happened in Camelot?" Killian spoke up, walking over to Henry, who was looking between his hand and Emma's.

"This is why I sent you back. Before you could stop me," Emma admitted, as tears welled up. "It's not something I would have wanted you to see, especially you, Henry," Emma looked down at her son, who had started to crumble into a seat.

Killian knew what she was talking about. "It ended with you, didn't it?" He asked, his heartbreaking. Emma is his happy ending, and now she was gone forever.

With a nod of her head, Snow White let out a sob and collapsed again David, they'd lost their daughter, their firstborn, their baby girl. "Emma," Snow's broken voice drew Emma away from Killian and to her parents.

"Look after him, raise him like you would have for me," Emma smiles tightly, and a couple of lightbulbs went off in her head. "I've met my grandparents. All four of them," she smiles as her parents look up at her. "They say hi, they were watching over me, making sure I didn't make any stupid decisions, maybe that why what I did in Camelot happened," she looked at the ground.

"I'm so glad you got to meet them, Emma," David smiles, remembering his mother and her loving nature.

Emma then looks at Regina. "Graham's alright," the former Evil Queen looked shocked. "He forgives you, and I've been demoted!" She exclaimed, pouting as she explains to Robin, Killian and her father that Graham was the Sheriff prior to her.

She then looks at Henry, remembers the shock she felt, seeing her favourite celebrity in the Underworld. "You want to know who's down there with me, kid?" She asks, who looked up and raised an eyebrow. "The King of Queen. Freddie," she smiles as a large grin takes over Henry's face.

The chat for a short while, about Freddie, and then Emma turns to Killian. "I've met Milah," Emma watches as an unfamiliar glaze goes over Killian's eyes, something she's never seen before with her. "Nice woman, I can see why you loved her," Emma couldn't help but feel a bit broken when she saw a tear roll down his cheek, like he gave up on his quest for vengeance was never over, not until she was out of the picture.

Then she felt an unfamiliar tingle throughout her body, she was going back. "It's time for me to go," Emma said, as a bright light overtook the dinner, leaving behind four notes.

_Regina, My Parents, Henry and Killian._

"How sentimental," Zelena sneered, and with a flick of Regina's hand, the sister was back in her cell. 

* * *

_Regina,_  
_There's a lot to say to one person, and the most I can say to you is that I sincerely thank you for taking Henry in and adopting him. I know I could never have raised him the way you have._  
_You may believe yourself to be a "villain", but take one look at our__ son, the way he acts. That's all you._

_Thanks for raising him, and making him the young man I believed him to be,_  
_Emma. _

* * *

_Mom and Dad,_  
_I don't know what I could ever say to you, other than I'm sorry._  
_I'm sorry for turning into a dark one, I'm sorry for not forgiving you right away after I found out about Lily and Maleficent._  
_Raise my baby brother the way I know you both wished to have raised me._

_I hope you know that I loved you both so much,_  
_Forever your little girl,_  
_Princess Emma of Mistheaven._

Reading Emma's true title, made Snow White sob so much, holding her son close to her, as another small piece of paper drifted to the floor.

_Hey there, I'm your big sister Emma,_  
_You may not know who I am, or why you only have a letter and no memories of me._  
_I'm sure mom and dad will tell you millions of stories about me, saving our town from curses, villains and a long trip to a place called Neverland._  
_This is your town, and I'll be watching you so you don't make any stupid mistakes, maybe knock a book or two (just to freak mom and dad out). But, if I could have, I'd be helping you grow up, along with mom and dad, and Henry, and Regina, Robin, Killian, you know. The whole town._

_I love you, little Prince,_  
_Your big sister, Emma. _

* * *

_Henry,_  
_Kid, I hope you know that I would never leave you behind with these crazies for anything._  
_Sorry, you had to go down to one mom, by you will be fine, believe me. I'll always be watching you (always watching, Mike Wazowski)._

_I love you more than ever, and if I had to do everything all over again, letting you go the day you were born. I would. Because you came back for me, and we have a family._

_Keep an eye on Killian for me, kid?_  
_You're my only hope,_  
_Mom. _

* * *

_Killian,_  
_Oh my devilishly handsome pirate, you'll always be my pirate, the one I met under a pile of bodies in the Enchanted Forest._  
_Sure, we had a rocky start and all, but it got us where we are. Deliriously in love, crazy about the other, with a house to share._  
_If I'm being honest with myself, I've probably loved you since the second I laid eyes on you. I was just too stupid and insecure to admit it. (Plus my walls were about 4 miles high, miles? Ask Henry)._

_But, you're the one that I will forever struggle to say "goodbye" to. I've never liked goodbyes, I've always hated them. But I'd say a million goodbyes if I get to say a million and one hellos to you._

_There will never be enough words in the galaxy for how much I love you, and how much I wish I could turn back time and make sure we got together sooner._

_I love you more than life itself, please don't spend 300 years trying to avenge me, as you did for Milah, be happy (move on, if you must) and I'll see you later, ok, baby?_

_I'll see you later in life when we're both in death (and don't do it yourself, because I will come up and murder you), because we're going to live forever and have a happy life._

_I'll forever be yours,_  
_Your Swan, the Pirate Queen._


End file.
